Kukla's Korner Hockey

Now, under Exhibit 15 of the CBA, agents for restricted players are allowed to open discussions with teams.
That means players like Ottawa's Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza, Ray Emery and Peter Schaefer -- who all require compensation if they were to sign elsewhere -- are allowed to see if anybody might be willing to take a chance with a Group II offer.
This new twist in the CBA is there to try and entice owners into signing players as restricted free agents. In the past, teams were forced to give up five first round draft picks, but that's not the case anymore.